Doubts
She had seen closets with walls of bags and rooms filled with shoe cabinets, but she had never seen so many watch safes, each one packed with watches.
Standing in front of the central glass safe, Wei Lai could see all the watches inside without even needing to open the door.
“The glass is bulletproof, right?” she asked.
“En.”
Zhou Sujin’s voice sounded distant. She turned to look for him and saw he was already standing by the wardrobe.
Wei Lai withdrew her gaze and continued to look at the watches.
He added, “If you’re interested in any of them, you can take it out and have a look.”
She was interested in each watch. It was her first time seeing so many vintage luxury watches, and it was truly an eye-opener.
She wanted to get a closer look, but the safe was locked, and she didn’t know the code.
“President Zhou, what’s the safe’s…” code.
Zhou Sujin retrieved a shirt from the wardrobe and answered before she could even finish asking, “It’s the same as your Cullinan’s code.”
Wei Lai wanted to say, “That’s your Cullinan, not mine.”
She was very curious about why he used the same password for everything—his car, his house, and even the safe.
After entering the code, there was a beep as the lock opened.
There were gloves nearby, so she took a pair and put them on.
Earlier, she had only taken a quick glance around, but now, as she opened the safe, she saw a diamond-encrusted ladies’ watch on the second row.
It was probably worth more than the Cullinan.
“President Zhou, do you collect ladies’ watches as well?”
“That one isn’t part of my collection. You don’t need to know about it.”
“Okay.”
Wei Lai didn’t ask further.
Zhou Sujin turned to her and said, “Take your time looking.” He was holding clothes and about to leave.
“President Zhou,” Wei Lai called out to him, “Could you help me learn more about these watches? I’d like to understand their origins and histories in detail. Since your only hobby is watches, I can’t just have a halfhearted understanding.”
Zhou Sujin: “The technical details are quite dull.”
“I don’t mind.” Wei Lai had already taken out her phone, ready to take notes.
Whenever it came to contracts, her level of seriousness was comparable to how she approached her work deliverables.
“President Zhou, please speak slowly.”
Zhou Sujin looked down and saw that she was making a PowerPoint, photographing each watch and inserting the pictures into the slides, numbering them according to the order in his watch safe.
“You need to write this down?”
“En. A dull pencil is better than a sharp mind.”
“I have over a hundred watches in my collection. Are you sure you want to make a slide for each one?”
Wei Lai nodded in certainty, saying, “That’s still fewer slides than some of my project plans.”
Since she was willing to listen, Zhou Sujin continued to explain.
After listening to the introduction of fifteen watches, Wei Lai couldn’t help but glance at the one she had sold him, puzzled as to why he had taken a liking to a watch with no collectible value and often wore it to social events.
She pointed to that watch. “I see you wear it often. Is there something special about it?”
Zhou Sujin: “Nothing special. It’s cheap and easy to repair if it breaks.”
Wei Lai: “…”
So that’s why.
It was cheap relative to him.
To her, that watch was extremely luxurious, enough to buy a luxury car. It had nearly drained all her savings at the time. She had spent her hard-earned money on this birthday gift for Zhang Yanxin, who never even saw what it looked like.
She praised herself, “I think it looks quite good, and the watchband is nice too.”
Zhou Sujin: “It’s average.”
Wei Lai fell completely silent.
Next, by the order of the watches, was the only ladies’ watch in the safe.
He would likely skip it, given that he had already said it wasn’t part of his collection and didn’t need to be discussed.
“Got it from an auction, to be gifted someday.”
She didn’t expect that he would provide a simple explanation.
Wei Lai got his meaning. To be gifted someday, which meant it was to be gifted to his future wife.
She complimented, “It’s beautiful and quite special.”
Zhou Sujin didn’t respond because the diamond-encrusted ladies’ watch didn’t quite match his aesthetics. He had bid for it at his grandfather’s insistence.
Three years ago, he had accompanied his maternal grandfather to an auction in London where he had bid on this watch. His hobby of collecting watches was influenced by his maternal grandfather.
Although he collected watches, he never bid on ladies’ watches. That day, his maternal grandfather gestured for him to look at the auction item details. “This watch is not bad. It’s rare to come across it. I’ll bid for it and give it to you as an early wedding gift. You and your brother still haven’t even found girlfriends yet. I’m not sure if I’ll live to see you guys’ wedding day.”
That day, his maternal grandfather bid on two watches, giving one to him.
After introducing all 36 watches in this safe, it was already past midnight.
“Let’s go to bed. I’ll tell you about the rest another time.”
“Okay,” Wei Lai saved the recorded information and put away her phone.
As she was leaving, she glanced once more at the most eye-catching watch on the display. She guessed it was the king of watches, dazzling and radiant all over as if a dial had been carved into a gemstone.
Zhou Sujin: “If you’re interested, you can look for a few more minutes.”
“No need. President Zhou, you should go rest early.”
“I don’t mind for a few minutes.” Zhou Sujin entered the code again and reopened the safe before glancing at her. “Why aren’t you pushing your luck now?”
“…” Wei Lai smiled, “Actually, I’ve always known my limits.”
Zhou Sujin handed her the watch. Taking it, it felt completely different now that it was in her hands, heavy and substantial. “President Zhou, a few minutes isn’t enough.”
The next morning, Zhou Sujin had just eaten breakfast and was heading to his study to work when he received a call from his elder brother. “Mom wants you to come home right now. She says you can bring Wei Lai or not, up to you.”
The meaning was clear: she didn’t need to come.
“Did Mom say what it’s about?”
Zhou Jiaye: “No.”
Their mom initially just wanted him to go home. Then, she added at the last moment, “Have your brother come back too.”
Zhou Jiaye thought for a moment. “Come pick me up. I’ll go back with you.”
If their mom was calling them home early in the morning, it likely wasn’t good news.
Before leaving, Zhou Sujin instructed the butler that Wei Lai was still asleep and to not disturb her.
Last night, she stayed up late looking at the watches and said she wanted to sleep in today.
He left the chauffeur and the Bentley at home for her convenience and drove the Bentayga himself to pick up his brother.
His brother lived in the neighboring mansion complex, less than 15 minutes away by car.
After picking him up, Zhou Jiaye’s first words were, “Do you think Mom already found out that you and Wei Lai are just pretending?”
Zhou Sujin glanced at the rearview mirror while reversing. “Highly unlikely.”
Even Uncle Yan didn’t know the nature of his relationship with Wei Lai, so there was no way their mom could’ve found out.
Zhou Jiaye was glad he hadn’t taken the risky move of finding someone to pretend to be his girlfriend. Even someone like Wei Lai, who had both EQ and IQ and was well-liked by the elders, could be seen through, not to mention an ordinary person.
When they arrived home, their mom was putting on a trench coat, looking like she was about to go out.
“Mom, what’s the matter?” Zhou Sujin casually placed the car keys on the side table in the living room.
Ning Ruzhen pointed to a pile of gifts next to the sofa. “These are for Wei Lai. I didn’t get a chance to load them into your car last night. These are from me, your dad, your maternal grandparents, and your two aunts. They’ve all prepared meeting gifts for Wei Lai.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “Thank you both for coming back yesterday to celebrate your uncle’s birthday.”
She then pointed to a meticulously wrapped box on the coffee table and said to her eldest son, “That’s a wedding gift from your maternal grandfather. He said he gave Sujin’s gift three years ago and only recently did he find something suitable for you.”
“There’s no food for you two at home today,” Ning Ruzhen said as she tied her scarf and grabbed her purse to leave.
The brothers exchanged glances, with Zhou Jiaye puzzled. He called out to their mom’s departing figure, “Mom, you called us here just for this?”
Ning Ruzhen paused and turned around. “What else?”
Before leaving, she glanced once more at her younger son’s wrist. He was still wearing that new watch. She hesitated but said nothing.
Leaving the family home, Ning Ruzhen instructed the chauffeur to go to her little sister’s place.
The autumn morning sunlight was warm and gentle, filtering through the sparse, yellowing ginkgo leaves and falling onto the light walnut-colored tea table beneath the tree.
Ning Rujiang was just about to leave for an errand when she received a call from her sister, saying she was coming over.
She took off her coat and asked the maid to brew two cups of coffee and bring them to the tea table outside.
She hadn’t allowed the workers to clear the fallen leaves in the courtyard because she enjoyed sitting in a leaf-covered courtyard, sipping coffee and arranging flowers. It would be even better if she had a child, who was smart and good with words, like Wei Lai to chat about anything and everything.
This used to be just a daydream, but now there was hope. This wish could be realized once Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai got married.
She heard her sister’s car approaching the gate just as the maid brought the coffee.
Ning Rujiang plucked the wilted petals from the ice-blue roses in the vase. “Having a daughter-in-law makes a difference. Now, you even have the mood to come and have morning tea with me.”
On the phone, her sister had mentioned coming over for coffee and a chat.
Ning Ruzhen placed her purse on the empty chair beside her and almost roughly took off her scarf, feeling for the first time that wearing it made it hard to breathe.
Focused on plucking petals, Ning Rujiang didn’t notice her sister’s unusual actions.
She chatted casually with her sister, “Is Sujin bringing Wei Lai home for dinner today?”
“I didn’t ask them to come back. We just saw them last night.”
“Seeing them is one thing, but last night was at our house. She’s your daughter-in-law.”
“Not yet.”
It was only then that Ning Rujiang looked at her sister and noticed that she was troubled with all her worries written on her face.
“What’s wrong with you?” She tossed aside the wilted petals she had been picking and sat down in the chair next to her sister, placing her purse on the table.
Ning Ruzhen found it hard to speak, but she had no one else to confide in besides her sister.
“I was up all night upset with Sujin. His relationship with Wei Lai might be fake.”
“What do you mean?” Ning Rujiang was even more anxious than the person involved. She had finally met a sweet-talking child who knew how to touch her heart, and she was looking forward to having someone to chat with over coffee in the courtyard. She couldn’t let this turn into a disappointment.
“Sis, did you notice something or find something out?”
Ning Ruzhen: “I first noticed something was off.”
As a mother, how could she not understand her own son’s personality? The details didn’t match up, and she couldn’t just let it go. So last night, she had someone investigate the watch again and do a background check on Wei Lai.
“The watch was indeed ordered by Wei Lai,” Ning Rujiang was certain about this. “What’s the problem?”
“There is, and it’s a big one.”
Ning Ruzhen found it hard to explain. She picked up her coffee to drink, but Ning Rujiang quickly stopped her. “Careful, it’s hot.”
Putting down the cup of coffee, Ning Ruzhen rubbed her temples with her thumb and ring finger. She had almost lost control earlier when she saw her youngest.
“The watch was indeed ordered by Wei Lai, but it was intended for her ex-boyfriend, not for Sujin.”
“Then… then… how did it end up with Sujin?”
Ning Rujiang was so shocked she could barely speak coherently.
“The watch was bought by Sujin. The watch Jiaye gifted him broke, so he went to buy a new one. Coincidentally, Wei Lai was at the flagship store that night trying to sell her watch.”
Ning Rujiang let out a sigh of relief, thinking her nephew wasn’t aware.
Now she understood how things happened: her nephew and Wei Lai met because of the watch transaction and then fell in love at first sight.
Ning Rujiang then told her sister why Wei Lai broke up with her ex-boyfriend and why she left venture capital to work at her family’s supermarket.
After listening, Ning Rujiang commented, “That boss of hers, Mu Di, is really…”
She couldn’t find the words to describe it.
Ning Rujiang could care less about Wei Lai’s ex-boyfriend and former boss; she got to the point, “So, you think Wei Lai and Sujin got together too quickly after her breakup, and that’s why you suspect their relationship is fake?”
Ning Ruzhen: “That’s part of it.”
It wasn’t just the speed of it; she carefully explained her reasoning to her sister.
Wei Lai was beautiful and elegant, fitting her son’s “love at first sight” criteria. Although Wei Lai’s family background couldn’t compare to theirs, it was pretty substantial in Jiang City. Her paternal grandparents were retired professors from Jiang City University’s law school, her father was an attorney, and her mother ran a sizable chain of supermarkets. She grew up not lacking love or money, had strong ambitions, and a high EQ. She knew when to advance and when to retreat, and never clung on unnecessarily. Such a girl was practically the ideal candidate for a contractual girlfriend.
As for why Wei Lai would agree to a fake relationship, she had been hurt by her ex-boyfriend, who was now engaged to her boss, so she would undoubtedly feel indignant about it.
Being abandoned and hurt by someone she loved, anyone would be irrational and desperately need a current boyfriend with a stronger background to show off in front of the ex.
Wei Lai was also determined to expand her mom’s supermarket, and her son could provide her with all the connections and resources she wanted.
“It’s only logical that they would cooperate.”
Ning Rujiang: “… It does make sense, but it doesn’t prove their relationship is fake. Couldn’t it be that the two of them are genuinely attracted to each other?”
Ning Ruzhen found it hard to explain to her sister. “It’s not just a deduction; it’s also my sixth sense.”
But intuition was something others couldn’t understand.
Regardless, saying it out loud made her feel a bit better. She picked up her coffee and drank it.
Ning Rujiang advised her sister, “Calm down and don’t show it in front of Sujin and Wei Lai. What if they really are together? As his mom, how are you going to handle it? If you can’t get past it, just observe them some more. If it’s fake, the truth will come out eventually.”
Ning Ruzhen nodded, but there was something she couldn’t understand. “Sujin knows that watch was meant for Wei Lai’s ex-boyfriend. How can he wear it?”
Ning Rujiang didn’t find it strange. “What’s the big deal? If it weren’t for that watch, he wouldn’t have met Wei Lai. The person who falls in love first often has to make some compromises. Besides, the watch was never worn by anyone else; it’s new. From a collector’s perspective, some of the watches he collects are nearly a hundred years old, and the love stories behind them are far more dramatic and twisted than Wei Lai’s.”
Ning Ruzhen: “…”
Ning Rujiang continued to explain, “Anyone with a passion for collecting cares about the significance of the item itself. They don’t worry about who the previous owner was or who it was intended for.”
Despite this, Ning Ruzhen still couldn’t convince herself. “That watch isn’t even worth a million; it has no collectible value.”
Ning Rujiang used to also think this way but had her views influenced by her husband. “Sis, whether something has collectible value is a matter of time. The watches that are valuable now were probably considered worthless by most people back then. We’re industry outsiders and only see the surface, but Sujin is an insider who understands the intricacies.”
Ning Ruzhen: “…”
For a moment, she had no rebuttal.
At this moment, a Bentayga EWB pulled up in front of Zhou Jiaye’s mansion.
After grabbing their respective gifts, they left the family home and remained silent the entire way.
After turning off the engine, Zhou Sujin reclined his seat.
Zhou Jiaye opened the door and got out of the car to smoke a cigarette.
Through the car window, he said, “From Mom’s reaction today, it seems she’s not just suspicious of you two.”
Zhou Sujin responded with a simple “En,” and added, “Mom has probably already investigated Wei Lai and me, but hasn’t found anything.”
“You’ve been thorough enough,” Zhou Jiaye flicked his cigarette ash. “What are you planning to do next? Once Mom is suspicious, her doubts won’t be easily dispelled.”
Zhou Sujin: “No need to do anything special. The more we try, the more suspicious Mom will get.”
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Wei Lai: “Uncle Yan said you went out for something. Are you done yet?“
Zhou Sujin: “En, I’ll be back soon.“
Wei Lai had already gone out and didn’t expect him to finish so quickly. “I’m going out for a bit, I want to have hotpot for lunch.“
Zhou Sujin glanced at the time; it wasn’t even 10:30 a.m. yet.
He asked, “Meeting up with a friend?“
Wei Lai: “I don’t have close friends in Beijing.“
She sent another message: “President Zhou, will you come with me?“
